The War of the Flowers

Title: The War of the Flowers
Author: Tad Williams
Genre: Fantasy
Pages: 832

     Now you may be thinking to yourself, "The War of the Flowers, what's that about, a gay couple that are having a divorce?" Well, no it isn't. It is in fact far more complex and far deeper than a simple divorce. The story starts off with Theo, a thirty year old who is in a young rock band because he believes that he has wasted his life doing nothing, and desperately wants to be young again. His girlfriend Catherine had a miscarriage, and contracted a disease in doing so. As she is dying in hospital she tells Theo that it is over and that "even in heaven I don't want to see your face" (Williams, 34). Later that week, he gets a phone call from the hospital telling him that his mother has died from pancreatic cancer. Theo sinks deeper and deeper in to depression. His ray of sunshine comes in a strange form, when his uncle, Eammon dies, leaving Theo a book in his inheritance. Theo, depressed and bored as ever decides to read it. It's a fantasy, he notices, about a mystical world, filled with the strangest of creatures: fairies, dragons, nymphs and all sorts. However, the book is written as though it was a biography or documentary. He disregards it as nonsense and continues on with his severe depression. However, he one day finds himself happy and uplifted. In this state, a fairy named Applecore comes to him, claiming that she has freed him from a disease spirit called Irrha, which would have killed him. Theo thinks that he is drugged, and tries to not believe what is happening. It is too late, and he finds himself in Faerie, the mystical world his uncle described. The land here is ruled by eight families of fairies, all bent on destroying the other. War is raging in Faerie, and as the sole heir to the throne of the Violet family, Theo must destroy his Irrha, save Faerie and get back to his own world, which is at least less depressing than this.
     The War of the Flowers' name is deceiving the book is... Beyond dark. It really touches you with language, and reflects what too much power can bestow upon people. It is a sad image of our society, where the rich and powerful prosper, and the poor get poorer. The War of the Flowers described in the book very much so resembles conflicts that are common among countries with transitional democracies. There is a ruling class which is destroying itself and a revolution happening among the people. The book is screaming the moral "Now is the time for change!" That's obvious though. If you delve deeper in to the book, specifically Theo's character, you will find that it is about finding happiness. All Theo wants is for his depression to end, and to be able to live the rest of his life without strife. It calls out to us in a very human way, telling us to all find that special place or time when we can just be happy, without worrying about anything. All in all, the book so far is amazing, and I would give it 5 stars. It is truly one of the most touching stories I have ever read and it has honestly made me cry it is so beautiful. I would recommend this to anyone who just wants to read a fantastical, yet serenely peaceful and all together human book.